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Canada In 2014: A Pivotal Year

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Many people look to horoscope columns as the New Year approaches in search of insight for the twelve months ahead. Yet those of us with even basic awareness of astrology know that a more valid and meaningful forecast can be derived when the tools of astrology are applied specifically to one’s own birth chart. These tools can be applied to the birth charts of nations, too, making it possible to use astrology to glean ideas of the upcoming year for an entire country. As for Canada, Astrology seems to reveal that we are due for some significant change in 2014. The year promises to be pivotal.

Canada

One of the first things to note is that 2014 brings Canada’s fifth Saturn Return. The Saturn Return is a time when the planet, going through its orbit around the sun, returns to the same point in the zodiac (as seen from Earth) that it occupied in the original chart. In other words, back on July 1, 1867, Saturn was at 17° 47′ of Scorpio, and Saturn is now, for the fifth time since 1867, returning to that same place in the zodiacal circle.

It is common for a Saturn Return to mark of time of increased responsibility for something, a time to “suck it up” and “get real”. It marks a time of growing up and taking on a new level of maturity. As a nation, it is important that whatever decisions we make this year are done with serious consideration and practicality. Now is not the time to take the easy way out or to settle on quick-fix solutions. Rather, it is time to bite the bullet, to get to work, to trim the fat, to be disciplined and structured. If we don’t make the right choices in 2014, then the repercussions will come back to haunt us when Saturn reaches 17° Aquarius (the 90° waning square position) in early 2022. That’s quite a time to let something fester. On the other hand, if we take a prudent approach to matters and forge a disciplined path in 2014, then 2022 will be a time when we can really start to see the benefits of the changes in our ways.

The time of the Saturn Return brings an opportunity to review the things that happened one complete Saturn cycle ago. We can now look at the things that happened back then, ask ourselves if we can finally release those matters from our responsibility, or if we need to “rejig” things to make them more appropriate for the coming years. So let’s rewind the clock back to the last time Saturn was at 17° of Scorpio. That was 1984.

Here in Canada in 1984, we saw the stepping down of Pierre Elliott Trudeau, one of our most famous Prime Ministers. Trudeau passed the torch to John Turner — until Brian Mulroney defeated the Liberals that September with a landslide victory for the Progressive Conservative Party. So what is the current Saturn Return saying? Do we, as in 1984, need to choose more conservative leaders again? (The small c is intensional.) Or is the Saturn Return implying it’s time to let go of the current Conservative government? Saturn does rule the 10th house (government) in Canada’s chart, so the new Saturn cycle we’re entering may indeed suggest a new government is in order.

The timing is very curious, isn’t it, that Justin Trudeau has just recently stepped up to lead the Liberal Party. I would think Saturn’s message to him is that, if he is to be successful in becoming Prime Minister, he needs to stress accountability, diligence, and taking responsibility. It could help if we perceive him as being older than his years. Maybe by association with his father, we are going to view Justin as a more historical-rooted Canadian, so that’s in his favour. Astrologically, though, it seems that Canada needs tough love now, not somebody to be a cheerleader. Justin does have a Capricorn Sun in a tight square to Pluto; he may indeed be capable of asserting some powerful clout.

1984 was also the year that Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space. Recently he, too, became forefront in our minds in his decision to run as another candidate to lead the Liberal Party. There is something about 1984 and the Liberals that is coming back to our consciousness this year!

Please note that it is not my intension to endorse any political party. Parties aside, astrology suggests to me that whoever is to become the next Prime Minister — especially if an election is called in 2014 — will likely be the candidate who is seen as the most conservative, traditional, secure, “belt-tightening”, and hard-working. I’m just drawn to the fact that the Saturn cycle picked up the Trudeau name.

Switching to another topic, back in 1984, the Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. With the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics right around the corner, it will be interesting to see what boycotts or protests take place over Russia’s response to the gay rights movement. Watch for Canadians being in the headlines for this. (See Uranus-Pluto squares below.)

In the world of television, 1984 saw the debut of Much Music and The Sports Network here in Canada. How is television changing in 2014? With so much access to entertainment on the internet, we may be due for changes in how these specialty channels operate. By the way, 1984 was the year that Jeopardy! was relaunched with Canadian Alex Trebek as host; any news about him retiring in 2014?

The year 1984 brought us the first twist-off beer cap on a reusable bottle. It was an important advancement environmentally back then. Maybe the next step for us in 2014 is to become even more vigilant in reducing the number of containers we return for factory processing and actually reuse our own containers ourselves. Maybe we need to take a stronger stand regarding excess packaging and work to eliminate single-use containers. Saturn rules packaging and containers, so this is certainly a year for Canada to make some strides again in this area.

2014 is the year that transiting Neptune opposes Mars in Canada’s chart. The emphasis will be in February and March, and again in the last quarter of the year. Mars is the ruler of Canada’s Aries Ascendant and is positioned in Virgo in the 6th House (Placidus Houses). Here in Canada, working class people may see their safety nets dissolve from under them. It may be a tough year for trade unions and for our health care system. There may be a tone of deception in the air as systems we thought we had in place seem to slip though our fingers. It might be hard to believe it at the time, but the result can be an overall cleansing of these systems, leaving only the purest of intentions intact. But going through 2014, our confusion about matters might make us feel more like victims than anything else.

The proposed oil pipeline will certainly command our attention in 2014. Neptune rules oil, so it’s opposition to Mars (Ascendant ruler) in Canada’s chart says this is the year for increased debate over the potential environmental impact. Key times are likely to be late February, early to mid October, and late December. November may bring a turning point to matters.

Many of you may know about the Uranus-Pluto squares of which we are in the midst, bringing sudden and drastic change to many lives. Uranus and Pluto were last together in the zodiac back in the mid 1960’s. Think about all the seeds that were planted back then regarding both human rights and the environment. We are now living in a time where those matters are being tested for further development — a reflection of Uranus and Pluto aspecting each other by square. Although gay rights, women’s rights, and overall civil rights were being voiced in the 60’s, we are now at a time in history where they are being taken to the next level. And this year, Canada is being highlighted as a significant participant in these areas.

For much of 2014, transiting Pluto will be triggering the Ascendant/Midheaven midpoint of Canada’s chart, the point marking how we share with the world what it is that we are striving to achieve. There are three times in the year this is especially strong — one being February 6, the day before the opening of the Sochi Winter Olympics. It will be fascinating to watch how Canadians are perceived by the world in these Olympic games. We may come across with great power and intensity of our convictions. Mid year marks another period of potency for this trigger, but even more so does December 2014.

Canada’s birth chart has the Sun in a close conjunction with Uranus, exactly on the MC/IC axis of the chart. Among other things, this suggests that Canada is a leader in technology. In 2013, transiting Uranus made a square aspect to natal Sun-Uranus. Coupled with the transiting Uranus-Pluto squares, I would think that could suggest that Canada could make strides in the control or the policing of the internet in 2014, or else that stronger measures of internet crime investigation will be put into place.

All year, Pluto’s transit is indicating that this is a year when the s**t hits the fan, when secrets are uncovered, when dirty laundry is aired, when skeletons come out of closets. We’re in for some surprises! Pluto is transiting Canada’s 10th house, so it looks like our government is due for more investigation and, ultimately, significant changes in how things are done. Anyone in a leadership role in Canada should be advised to clean up their act, or else (like the myth) they may wish the ground would open up and swallow them. The truth about matters is likely to surface, and it may not be pretty.

In conclusion, it seems that 2014 will be the year for Canadians to embrace new responsibilities, coinciding with a year when secrets will be made public. By 2015, we may very well have a revised course of action, new aspirations, and a significantly altered government.